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Football action begins in the newly realigned KLAA West Thursday night, with the quest for the championship going through Canton.

The Chiefs were favored to win the division in a preseason poll of coaches, followed by Brighton, Plymouth, Northville, Novi, Hartland, Howell and Salem.

Here’s a look at the teams Brighton, Howell and Hartland will be facing over the next seven weeks in their quests to win a division title and qualify for the state playoffs:

CANTON

Last season: 10-2

Last week: Lost to Livonia Churchill, 35-21

Outlook: If it wasn’t for Belleville, Canton might have the two best players in the entire KLAA in defensive lineman Darius Robinson and running back Steven Walker. Robinson is ranked No. 16 in the state in the Class of 2019 by the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings. Walker is an explosive back who benefits from the usual tough offensive line at Canton. After 10 years on the coaching staff, Andrew LaFata takes over from 20-year coach Tim Baechler. Canton will still run the full-house tight-T formation that has given opponents fits over the years.

Coach Andrew LaFata: “It’s what we know. It’s what our coaches know. It’s what I know. You’ve got to coach the stuff that you know. There’s a lot of similar stuff. Obviously, there will be some new wrinkles on both sides of the football. You kind of put your own identity on it.”

NORTHVILLE

Last season: 3-6

Last week: Beat Livonia Franklin, 28-14

Outlook: The outlook for Northville is much brighter after pulling off an opening-week victory over Livonia Franklin, a state Division 2 finalist last year. Enzo Rodriguez ran 16 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns to lead the attack. After making seven playoff appearances in eight years, Northville had its worst record since 2007 last season.

Coach Matt Ladach: “The perception is that Northville’s going to be very ordinary; I’m OK with that. It’s important to note that I love what we have coming back. We’ve got a ton of great kids who are willing to work hard and do what’s necessary to be successful. We don’t have some of the top players in the state as some of these other schools do. We’ve got a ton of really good high school football players.”

NOVI

Last season: 3-6

Last week: Lost to Westland John Glenn, 26-14

Outlook: Novi returns only two offensive and four defensive starters. Opening with a loss to a John Glenn team that won only five total games the past three seasons isn’t a good sign for the Wildcats, who visit Brighton to open KLAA West play. Novi did have some success on the ground against John Glenn, with Jason Jennings running 19 times for 107 yards and quarterback Drew O’Connor scoring on a 32-yard run. This isn’t the same Novi team that won 38-9 in a 2016 playoff game the last time it came to Brighton.

Coach: Jeff Burnside: “We don’t have the Emanuels (Jackson) or the Anthonys (D’Annibale) we’ve had the last couple years. This is probably the hardest-working group as a collective that we’ve ever had. We’re only going to be 34, 35 deep this year. We’re not going to have a ton. We consistently play teams with 50, 60, but we’ll go toe-to-toe with anybody.”

Plymouth's Carson Miller tries to elude Livonia Stevenson's Lucas Kyle during his 46-yard catch-and-run TD late in the first half at The Big House.(Photo: Bill Bresler | Hometownlife.com)

PLYMOUTH

Last season: 4-5

Last week: Beat Livonia Stevenson, 35-11

Outlook: Plymouth is a team that can be dangerous offensively, scoring at least 35 points in each of its last three games dating to the end of last season. The test will be stopping quality opponents. The offense features running back Carson Miller, who ran 21 times for 97 yards and caught one pass for 46 yards in the opener. Plymouth is breaking in a new quarterback in junior Nick Downs, who looked solid in Week 1. Plymouth, like the other two schools in the Canton-Plymouth district, has a new head coach.

Coach Brian Lewis: “We’re so new that we’ve got to learn how to come together. I’d love to tell you we’re going to be 9-0, but we just don’t know yet. The outlook for Plymouth is if we stick together, believe in each other, trust each other, we’ve got a chance to be successful.”

SALEM

Last season: 5-5

Last week: Beat Wayne Memorial, 23-14

Outlook: Salem reached the playoffs for the first time since 1991 last year, but was hit hard by graduation. The Rocks do have some experience, with four returning starters on offense and three on defense. Not much can be learned by beating Wayne Memorial, which has lost 25 straight against KLAA competition.

Coach Justin Reed: “I think there’s got to be new expectations. Finally making it after 26 years, these guys weren’t even around. To be able to do that, you get the extra practice time. You’re rewarded in the state of Michigan; you play in the cold. That’s what we’re trying to get back to.”